What Does a Trump Presidency Mean for Meetings?

Donald Trump returns to the White House today for his second term.

Here are 4 areas where the potential policies of the new Trump administration could affect the meetings industry.

1. Abortion Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has driven some planners to add anti-discrimination clauses to their contracts to protect their organizations if the legal situation changes between the time the contract is signed and the event takes place. Others have refused to source venues in states with anti-abortion laws. This is expected to continue under a Trump presidency.

2. Climate Change 

Climate change, particularly extreme weather events, continues to affect the most popular destinations for meetings and events, most recently with the California wildfires. Many experts point to 2024's challenges as proof of an urgent need to address the impact of climate change on hurricanes.

Among Donald Trump’s campaign promises are to once again pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords, to support increased nuclear energy production, and to re-evaluate mandates for electric vehicles.

Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and architect of the Paris Agreement, called the election result “a setback for global climate action. But the Paris Agreement has proven resilient and is stronger than any single country’s policies,” she told Climate Home News.

3. Visa Delays and Travel Restrictions

Trump’s previous administration increased security measures targeting travelers from certain regions, and in 2017, his administration restricted entry for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The question remains as to whether his administration will once again extend travel bans or target travelers.

On a positive note, as of press time, visa wait times were down by nearly 60% since the height of the pandemic backlogs, and 8.5 million of the 11.5 visas issued in fiscal year 2024 were visitor visas – a 10% increase over FY 2023. The State Department is still working to reduce wait times from Mexico, Brazil, Columbia and India. This is good news for the trade show industry, which has been struggling with the issue since the pandemic.

4. Hidden Fees and Transparency

In December, the the Federal Trade Commission unveiled a final rule banning the practice of hidden fees.  

The rule is heavily targeted toward travel companies, including hotels and online travel agencies. 

"(The final rule) does not prohibit any type or amount of fee, nor does it prohibit any specific pricing strategies. Rather, it simply requires that businesses that advertise their pricing tell consumers the whole truth up-front about prices and fees," the FTC said in a press release.

There are two practices that would be prohibited: 

• Misrepresenting the total cost by omitting mandatory fees
• Misrepresenting the nature and purpose of a fee.

It remains to be seen if the new Trump administration will attempt to change the rule or delay its start date.